Tips on Catching a Ground Mole

There are many reasons why you may want to get a mole out of your yard. These pests burrow in the ground, leaving blemishes on your manicured lawn. They eat the roots of your plants and flowers, causing them to die. And they are known to carry diseases such as rabies. According to TheMoleMan.com, trapping a mole is the only effective way of preventing its destruction. Catching the critters is not difficult if you follow the proper procedure.

Keep Grass Short

Keep your grass short so that you can easily locate mole movement, according to TheMoleMan.com. Since finding the places where the mole goes is the first step to catching it, do not let your lawn become overgrown so that the tunnels are difficult to see. Also, do not place sod or topsoil over mole tunnels, because that will make seeing the tunnels even harder. When moles dig a tunnel and the grass is cut close to the ground, the tops of the tunnels will likely stick up higher than the grass.

Spot Active Tunnels

In order to properly set a trap to catch the mole, you must know where the mole is currently burrowing.
Locate an active tunnel so that your trap will be more likely to catch the mole quickly. Find current tunnels in the yard and stomp sections of them flat with your foot. If the tunnel you flattened is rebuilt the next day, then you know the mole is currently working in that tunnel, according to GardenGuides.com.

The Mole Pit

Use a mole pit to trap the mole in your yard without killing it. No matter how much damage a mole does, some people still view it as living creature they don't want to destroy. They recognize that it is merely doing the only thing it knows to do.
Dig out the ceiling of one of the active tunnels and dig a hole in the floor of the tunnel where the mole will walk. The hole should be big enough to fit a glass jar or coffee can that will hold the mole. Slide the jar or can into the hole so that it is flush with the bottom of the tunnel. Cover the hole in the ground with a board or tile. This board will act as the new ceiling of the tunnel. When the mole comes through the tunnel again, it will fall into the can and be unable to find its way out.
Wait until the next day and then check the trap periodically by lifting the board to see if the mole is in the trap, according to GardenGuides.com.
Once you have the mole contained, carefully remove the jar or can and take the mole elsewhere and release it. Be careful handling the animal, as moles are known to bite. Deadly traps that impale, choke or crush the mole are also available, according to the University of Missouri Extension.